


A Reason for Everything

by RandomdudeNo123



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:00:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27281584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomdudeNo123/pseuds/RandomdudeNo123
Summary: During one slow afternoon in the lab, Manami Okuda considers the reason behind her friendship with Karma.
Relationships: Akabane Karma/Okuda Manami
Comments: 11
Kudos: 60





	A Reason for Everything

4:45 PM. Bubbles rose to the surface of the flask, as the chemical began to heat up. Carefully watching as the liquid bubbled, Manami Okuda yawned, eyes beginning to strain. The experiment was her 4th attempt now to replicate Anti-Sensei materials, but in liquid form. Wiping away the sleep from her eyes, she looked at her experiment notes once more. If her hypothesis was correct, it would take 15 more minutes before the solution stabilized.

Burying her head in her arms, Okuda let her tired eyes rest. 15 minutes wasn't long, but she knew the minutes could drag endlessly by if she didn't find something to do. Slowly, she drifted off, lost in a hazy world that lingered between thought and dream.

* * *

The world was a logical world. Each effect always had a cause, each question it's answer. When chemicals reacted, their reactions were predictable. Manami Okuda's world was a world of certain outcomes, where each happening always had a reason behind it.

The same principle applied to people. People didn't act without motive or reason. When someone approached, they approached for a reason. And since nobody had any reason to approach her, nobody ever spoke to her. Okuda understood. It was the way of the world, after all.

When Karma Akabane contacted her for the first time, he had fit her worldview perfectly. He needed a steady supply of poisons, and she was the easiest person to get them from. It was a simple coordination between would-be assassins, and nothing more. The first time he had even walked into the laboratory was a shock, but not completely unexpected. He simply wanted to observe her, so he could later create his own poisons. His explanation made sense, so Okuda allowed him to watch.

The first cracks came with the arrival of Ritsu. With a hyperintelligent AI ready to produce whatever chemicals he needed, Okuda simply assumed that their agreement had reached it's conclusion. That's why it had shocked her when he returned. 5 PM in the Science Lab, the same time as always, he laughed. She still remembered the slight grin on his face, the cocked eyebrow. They still had a contract, after all, and he fully expected her to keep going. She couldn't quite explain it, but those words had sent flutters of happiness through her.

After that, the change was imperceptible. Slowly, she grew used to his presence, and he to her's. What used to be stilted conversations began to flow more naturally, as both of them grew accustomed to each other. This was easily explained by her worldview. He simply needed a way to pass the time, and she was more entertaining than anything he could think of. 

It was during this time that phenomena began to occur, things that her worldview couldn't quite explain. Their conversations had evolved, going from plans of assassination and poisons to things like graduation plans, and what they would do with the reward money. She often wondered the reason for their talks, or what possessed him to stay late after school, helping her clean up the lab. When she had asked, he simply laughed it off. He liked being around her. Wasn't that reason enough?

To that, she simply smiled. If she were to be honest with herself, that had also been her own reason for letting him stay. Not for any hidden benefit, but simply because she enjoyed his company. Perhaps not everything needed a grandiose reason, but the reason was still there.

Change, she supposed, was a subtle thing. Like a hidden poison, change slowly affected a person, silently altering them until they realized something was wrong. And something had definitely changed within her. Unconsciously, she had begun to seek him out, silently cheering whenever he attended class, sighing whenever he skipped. She began to look forward to their little talks, a little flutter of joy springing up whenever he arrived. The reason for this change, Okuda guessed, was simply a side-effect of their friendship. This was the first time she had a friend this close, so it only made sense for her to change... Right? But no, the flutters were different. She didn't feel the same type of anticipation when talking to Kayano or Kanzaki, or even when she was on the verge of a breakthrough. This... This was a completely new feeling.

Perhaps it was time to search for the reason behind it.

* * *

"Hey." A gentle touch stirred her from slumber. Waking into a daze, the first thing she saw was red. Sunset was upon them, it's crimson tint coloring the skies ever brighter. Hair the same color as the setting sun, Karma sat beside her, watching her return to consciousness.

"Mmph... What happened?" Her first impulse was to check her experiment. The bunsen burner was empty, it's flame long extinguished. 

"Nothing much. You fell asleep, so I turned off the burners and took the mixture." There it was again. That mischievous smile she knew so well. His favourite smile. "Looks like school's been running you pretty ragged, huh? How about skipping next class?"

"You know I can't do that! Koro-Sensei would panic!" Unconsciously, she began to smile as well. 

"Your loss." And with a flick of his hand, Karma shut off the lights, motioning for them to leave. Golden eyes were fixed on her, as he waited for her by the doorway. "You're fine, right?"

There it was again. That strange flutter of joy, it's origins an enigma. Someday, she would understand the reason behind it. Now, however, she simply accepted the pleasant feeling. Looking back up, she beamed happily. "Never better."

**Author's Note:**

> Heya. I wanted to try an experimental style with this new story. Most of my writings tends to be multi-chaptered and centered around it's dialogue, so I wanted to see if I could do something different. This time, I kept the dialogue to a minimum and focused on only a single character. I'm interested to see if I succeeded or not, so if you have anything to say, do let me know in the comments. (Also, I just REALLY wanted to write some Karmanami. I really don't show the ship enough love...) 
> 
> (Side note: Some of you might be wondering why I decided to publish this first instead of finishing my other story. Well... I'm still trying to think of a good way to end it. It's on it's way, I promise.)


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